I'm deciding which rMBP is right for me. It's either the lowest end Retina Pro with 16gb/128gb or the 8gb/256gb model or a refurb 15' Retina from last year (lowest end model if I recall, it's about $350 more than the 13' machines)

I want to work out if it's worth springing for the old 15' model or the 16gb of ram upgrade on the 13' (it's either or).

Here's what I do on a computer:

I use Safari avidly generally with about 10+ or so tabs open but no Flash content. iTunes, Notes, Reminders etc. I use basically all the built in apps at times. Just general usage, you guys know the stuff. I also edit an hour long podcast in GarageBand. Adding intro music, cutting out pauses etc. I don't play any heavy games. I have an external 23' 1080p monitor I'll connect to. I don't use much disk space.

It doesn't seem like you need the extra power of the 15", so that's more of a personal decision based on whether you value the portability or larger screen more. If you go for the 13", you might want to consider the 256GB SSD, because (apparently) the 128GB SSD is a slower Sandisk drive. You also say you're knowledgable with computers, so you should know your RAM needs better than anyone else; with your use it looks like 16GB could potentially be helpful, but there are also many people in these forums that believe RAM use will go down, not up, over the next few years.

I'd been reading about the faster drive but I don't know if that would translate at all in real world use and I don't actually have that mucho stuff. Regarding the RAM, I think I could do with either. I've hit 8gb of usage before on Mountain Lion but I didn't experience any slow down and I had much more than usual open. So I think I could swing either way.

What I was also curious about was if the machines can now handle the Retina displays (I've heard so many people complaining of lag) and if the dual core CPU would be okay for what I do.

It doesn't seem like you need the extra power of the 15", so that's more of a personal decision based on whether you value the portability or larger screen more. If you go for the 13", you might want to consider the 256GB SSD, because (apparently) the 128GB SSD is a slower Sandisk drive. You also say you're knowledgable with computers, so you should know your RAM needs better than anyone else; with your use it looks like 16GB could potentially be helpful, but there are also many people in these forums that believe RAM use will go down, not up, over the next few years.

What I was also curious about was if the machines can now handle the Retina displays (I've heard so many people complaining of lag) and if the dual core CPU would be okay for what I do.

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I haven't really experienced any lag. The frame rate drops during animations at higher scaled resolutions, and scrolling is a bit jerky on webpages before they fully load/render, but overall most of the animations are really smooth. Instances where scrolling etc. isn't smooth are probably related to network or software issues, but the hardware should be more than powerful enough to power the screen.

With the CPU, what CPU are you coming from? Does that manage your needs fine?

I haven't really experienced any lag. The frame rate drops during animations at higher scaled resolutions, and scrolling is a bit jerky on webpages before they fully load/render, but overall most of the animations are really smooth. Instances where scrolling etc. isn't smooth are probably related to network or software issues, but the hardware should be more than powerful enough to power the screen.

With the CPU, what CPU are you coming from? Does that manage your needs fine?

A 3.4ghz 3570k desktop CPU... I need a notebook nowadays. The CPU was majorly throttled though so I don't know how much of a drop it really will be.

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The refurb 15 rMBP from early 2013 (or even the 2012...) should be on-par or slightly weaker than the 3570k, and will likely outperform the desktop CPU if you've throttled it.

For the usage described, the 13 will be fine but...since you've had experience with a powerful desktop CPU, I would go for the 15. No sense taking a downgrade, especially if you're looking for a lappy to last you a few years, as performance requirements will only increase.

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